Massive new east side facility designed for Austin-area youth breaks ground

Massive new east side facility designed for Austin youth breaks ground

The new campus will serve as the flagship facility for the Boys & Girls Club of Austin.
Boys & Girls Club of Austin

The new facility is housed on a 10-acre campus in East Austin.
Boys & Girls Club of Austin

The new space can serve more than a thousand area youth.
Boys & Girls Club of Austin

The center will feature both outdoor and indoor physical activity areas.
Boys & Girls Club of Austin

St. David's Foundation was also a substantial donor to the project.
Boys & Girls Club of Austin

On April 17, the Boys & Girls Club of Austin broke ground on a new 10-acre campus in East Austin that will allow the nonprofit to serve an additional 1,000 area youth.

Located at 6648 Ed Bluestein Blvd. near Manor Road, the Sheth Family Campus, named in honor of the multimillion-dollar donation from Adria and Brian Sheth, will become the nonprofit's new flagship Home Club. The massive complex marks the first time both the club's housing administrative offices and youth services facility will be in same space.

The new $14 million campus features a 32,000-square-foot teen center equipped with STEM labs, art and recording studios, and a library, as well as indoor and outdoor athletic facilities. The indoor sports area is named after the St. David’s Foundation, which contributed $1 million in funding for the project.

“[This organization] is doing a fantastic job of providing out-of-school activities for young people across our community," said Earl Maxwell, CEO of St. David’s Foundation, in a press release. "We are delighted to be a part of this exciting new Home Club.”

As the school year comes to an end, more than 105,000 Austin-area youth are left without access to free or affordable summer programming. With its new flagship Home Club, the Boys & Girls Club of Austin says it hopes to close this gap by providing academic support, physical activities, and positive social connections with peers and role models for vulnerable youngsters and their families.

“We know that when a Boys & Girls Club moves into a neighborhood, risky behaviors and school absences decline, while school attendance and grades improve. Boys & Girls Clubs make a difference in the lives of youth today while building a better community tomorrow,” said Misti Potter, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Austin.

Planning to open its doors to the community later this year, the Boys & Girls Club of Austin has launched a public fundraising campaign, #BringUsHome, to raise the additional support and resources needed for the facility. You can find out more information about the #BringUsHome campaign here.